Severe Weather

Family speaks out on teens' train deaths

After a train killed a Bernalillo High School student Wednesday, another family who lost their son the same way said the senseless deaths need to stop.

Nine years ago a train accident killed the Gonzales' 14-year-old son, Rudy. The news of another teen, 16-year-old Jose Angel, killed on the same tracks in Bernalillo early in the week, has brought back some tough memories to the family.

"(It) turned my whole life around again, just made me start living it over again," said Gonzales' father, Henry Gonzales.

The family said five students have lost their lives on the tracks in the past decade.

"I hope Amtrak is listening to this because they don't know what it feels like to lose a kid. If they would be in our shoes, my whole family, they would know," said Gonzales.

The Gonzales family fought for a pedestrian bridge put over the tracks and a fence along the tracks, but they said nothing happened. Now, family members said they are going to continue the fight to save lives.

The Gonzales family plans to contact an attorney, meet with the mayor and ask Amtrak to make some changes, including slowing down while traveling through towns.

"I can't bring him back, money can't bring him back. I need something done here for my son, in loving memory of my son and all of the other people that got killed here," said Gonzales.

Copyright 2013 byKOAT.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.

Forty years ago, one of the greatest boxing matches in history took place in an unlikely setting: the capital of the Philippines. Muhammad Ali's epic win over great rival Joe Frazier in 1975 became known as the "Thrilla in Manila."